Cast: (voices of) Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, John Hodgman, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Ian McShane.

IF I'd seen this a week ago, it would have made my 'best films of the year' list easily.

A visually stunning combination of stop-animation and computer graphics, Coraline is an inventive Through The Looking Glass-type adventure that will entertain all ages.

Based on Neil Gaiman's novel, it tells the tale of bored young Coraline, who has moved into a decrepit mansion with her workaholic parents.

In her new home she discovers a hidden door which leads to the Other World, where she meets her Other Mother and her Other Father and everything there is perfect - the food is great, her parents are attentive and her neighbours are entertaining and not just crazy.

But there is something sinister about the new world, despite it seeming to be everything she'd ever wished for. Maybe it's the fact everyone in the Other World has buttons for eyes....

Coraline is utter eye-candy, even more so than Selick's previous stop-animation films The Nightmare Before Christmas and James And The Giant Peach. Aided by some ingenious computer touches, it looks spectacular, bringing Gaiman's twin worlds to life in dazzling fashion.

Parents should be warned that the film could give younger children the wiggins, but for those old enough this has the potential to be a lifetime favourite, in the same way previous generations still have a soft spot for darker kids fare like The Dark Crystal, Gremlins and Labyrinth.

While the plot's obvious touchstones are Alice In Wonderland and The Wizard Of Oz, Coraline feels new, fresh and vibrant, and comes with a cool message that put-upon parents can hope their kids understand - getting everything you want in life isn't always a good thing.